i own a 98 1200c and i am going to have some headwork done and i wanted to know what cams to get to help it out. i want it to be stock looking and achieve 90 hp. if i just buy cams what should i get and will the stock bike perform well with only a cam change and carb work? also i will buy some new wisco pistons standard bore to compliment this build,.....should i go to a 10 to 1 compression or try to stay similar to stock.


Thanks folks

Compression is the fastest path to H.P. so if your gonna change go no more than 11 to 1. I milled my heads to achieve that end and it adds a bunch of juice. Cams are best asked to the experts. Nallins or Zippers perormance ought to be able to help with that and any other power needs. 90 is a strong target and you will have to get things right to achieve it especially if you are talking at the back wheel on an acurate dyno(previous discussion about dif. dyno results on same bike). Both Zippers and Nallins are experts in making lots of power so look here is the link to the thread with their web sites. http://xlforum.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1210

G'day Cowboy


There's a lot more questions to ask for 90hp at the rear....

Why do you want that figure? are ya racin it??? if so what are the class restriction/rules.??

DO you only ride solo or do you 2 up????

What fuel do you have acess to???



To get 90 at the rear you are looking at major headwork and at least SE 0.536" cams ...maybe bigger... compression is partially dependant on what cams you have, the later the inlet close the higher you can have you static compression but ya run into LOTS of probs when ya get over 11:1 (I'm runnin 11.25 :1 on mine)

exhaust will become critical aswell

Profesionaly porting and polishing the heads will get you moor bang for the bucks than cams. But if you can afford both at the same time definantly talk to the head porter indepth let them know what you are aiming for and how you plan to use it. and then follow their advise and use the cams that they suggest. Just my worthless advise and take on the subject, BUT you asked.

Steveo was right about the compression ratio's and how the cam has an effect on it. We would run 15:1 static and end up with about 12.5:1 on our race cars. The overlap and the lift on the cam would bring it back down. Seems like on most streetable combo has been about 10:1. Remember reliability plays a big part here, bigger isn't always better.

Heads are where it's at. Not only do the ports need to be massaged for the RPM range where you want the power, but the combustion chambers should be machined to create a nice quench or squish band around the perimeter. This allows you to use higher compression w/out pinging.

Check out the new Forum Sponsor, NHRS. No doubt, they can get you where you want to go w/out selling you extra frivolou$ parts.

Thanks fellas I really want to keep it reliable. and I am not a racer i just gettin tired of all my friends pointing at me and giggling,"he rides a sportster". I talked to nallins and i really did like the service i recieved. but for the money i think i am going to use a local performance shop, the guy just seemed a good choice and he knows his stuff. also 10 to 1 comp is all i want to get. i have accsess to all types of gas because we race bikes. also i do double with my wife and occasional girl friend(i got punched in the arm for that one).i am really looking for a stock lookin red light to red light demon. i want everyone to point when i go buy and say "DANG was he on a sportster?" or better yet "wanna run for 50?"

thanks again guys

A good local indy is often one of the best ways to go..

You can talk to him longer and he'll get a better idea of what you want...

He will also know local conditions and should be able to tune it well to suit local conditions....


After all that's the position I'm in :) I'm that indy ;)